Blackhawks Get Yoda

Let’s keep with the Hawks for today…

This offseason has been nothing short of spectacular for Chicago Blackhak fans. On UFA day they land netminder Cristobal Huet, and ultra-coveted D-man Brian Campbell,  they sign a couple of other players, then they name budding star Jonathan Toews as captain. But there’s more! The Hawks hold a very successful fan convention, the first of its type by an NHL club. Then, when the NHL releases the schedule, we get confirmation that Chicago will host the next Winter Classic outdoor game at Wrigley Field.Then, of course, we get word that they are bolstering the ranks of the Ice Crew.

So you’d think that it couldn’t get better, right? Wrong.

Last week while we were sipping margaritas by the creek pool, the Hawks front office went out and got the Yoda of hockey to work as Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations.

Says the Chicago Tribune:

Scotty Bowman, the winningest coach in NHL history and a member of 11 Stanley Cup champion teams, signed a three-year contract Thursday as the Hawks’ senior adviser for hockey operations…”I liked that I could come in and be a good force with the team and also work with my son Stan,” Scotty Bowman, 74, said. “That’s a dream everyone has that doesn’t happen very often in sports, but it is happening here.”

Said [Chicago GM Dale] Tallon: “When he said he’s going to be an extra set of eyes I said, ‘Those are the best eyes a person can have.’ We’re going to rely on him in every aspect—his knowledge of coaching, of drafting [and] of trading. Adding Scotty in the mix gives us a better opportunity to be successful in any moves we make.”

See, now this is how you rebuild a franchise. Slow, steady, intelligent decisions that set a foundation for sustainable long-term success while bringing the fans together by maitaining a sense of team history.  Montreal took a similar approach a few years back and they’re starting to enjoy the results. There’s a couple teams that come to mind that could really benefit from this type of thinking. I’ll use “Scooby-Speak” to maintain some anonymity so people don’t think we’re picking on the Rampa Ray Rightning and the Roronto Raple Reafs, both of which are royally rucked.